New Book – Another First

Another new book that arrived on Monday is also the first book in a new series: Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things by Cynthia Voigt.
Max’s parents are well-known actors, and at the start of the book, they are invited to India to perform for the Maharajah of Kashmir. On the day they are leaving, Max is to meet them on the boat after his art lesson. When he arrives at the dock, Max discovers no boat, no record of the boat his parents were on, and no parents. He goes to his grandmother (a librarian!) and together they work on figuring out what has happened to Max’s parents.
Meanwhile, Max wants to live at his house, not with his grandmother. So, to support himself, he uses the skills he’s learned in his parents’ theatre to try to find a job. What he ends up doing is solving people’s problems–lost dogs, a lost spoon, a lost nephew, and a lost love. While some want to call him a detective, Max points out that he simply finds the answers to peoples’ problems; he’s more of a “solutioneer.”
This book is so much fun. There are great characters. And I can’t wait for the rest of the series!